October 31, 2008

This is the "Bay Bridge", San Francisco's "other" bridge, and built at about the same time -- 1936. It's eight miles of traffic-from-hell if you have to join the commute...

Currently the cantilever sections on the Oakland side are being replaced with a massively expensive modern bridge. In our last big shaker (the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989) a section of the eastern upper deck of the cantilever span pulled out of place and smashed to the roadway below, killing one man and injuring others. Many more died from being pan-caked and trapped within the Cypress Structure, a double-decker connecting highway to the Bay Bridge.

Be careful out there on the roads today, folks... It's raining cats-and-dogs here in California this morning -- fortunately I don't have to get out in it. Kitty just went out and got all wet taking a poop. Life goes on in California...

October 30, 2008

Oh, I know what you're going to ask -- did I get wet? Well, occasionally I do get sprayed but usually I am more concerned about my camera getting wet than me... But a person needs to be really careful about rare "sleeper waves" -- huge monster waves that can sweep the poor unsuspecting photographer off the rocks in the blink of an eye... Fortunately, that's what telephoto lenses are made for, and although my 200mm isn't all that "long" (full size sensor on my Canon5D so there is no crop factor), it allows me to shoot in relative safety.

This photo was made at the Half Moon Bay breakwater, and there was quite a crowd gathered to watch the surfers and waves. One mother was allowing her children to get repeatedly splashed and sprayed -- she and they were absolutely soaked, but despite all the screams they were not in any real danger.

October 29, 2008

This funky old building is in the teeny-tiny coastal town of San Gregorio, a few miles south of Half Moon Bay and in from the coast about a mile. "Greater" San Gregorio extends to the ranches and farms in the area, but there really isn't much left downtown anymore. There is a post-office sharing the building with a gift shop, but that's about it. It is possible to count the number of residences downtown on one hand and still have a couple fingers left over.

This funky old structure appears to have served as a store and gas station, but even as old as I am, that was before my time.

October 28, 2008

This is a beach with the delightful name of Bean Hollow, on the San Mateo coastline, about half-way between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. After an early start, this is where I ended up on Saturday morning. The surf was heavy, and the foamy waves were swooping way up and over the beach. The weather was pleasant -- I had a great time...

I call this "my world" because I have travelled up and down Highway 1 about a billion times over the past 61 years. My family lived in Pacific Grove (near Monterey), and when I was a kid we frequently travelled up Highway 1 to see Grandma in Marin County, near where I live these days.

Personally, I think the San Mateo coastline is even prettier than Big Sur (to the south of Monterey). There is more access to beaches, and the scenery is absolutely spectacular. There are tiny roads to explore the various redwood studded canyons, with creeks that gush in winter. Yes folks, it's my world and I don't think I would exchange it for any place else.

October 26, 2008

People sometimes ask me if I surf, and I always have to tell them no. Growing up I always had jobs after school and on the weekends, so that left little time to hang out at the beach and learn how. But yes, I used to occasionally wade and swim in the ocean when I was a kid -- and I can assure you that without a wet-suit the water is cold... Very cold...

October 25, 2008

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area now, but I was lucky enough to grow up on the Monterey Peninsula, which you might know is an equally beautiful and dramatic area. Now this is going back about 45 years, but In Monterey there was a man, Lee Blaisdell, who took all of the picture postcard shots, and yes, I wanted his job, and still do...

October 24, 2008

O.k., this "wavy sunset" may be stretching the rules about what is and what is not a sky photo, but our sky has been so plain recently that I thought I had to throw in a bit of excietment with a splash...

October 23, 2008

Even though our reservoirs look like they will be bone dry by the time the rains return, our water district is mandated by the Federal Government to release a specific amount of water into the Lagunias Creek, which makes it's way out to the sea by way of Tomales Bay, just a few miles away.

Yes, it's all for the benefit of the juvenile Coho Salmon that hatched in January, February, and March. They spend their first year going to school here, and one of the first things they learn is that they are a protected species... Meanwhile, the population of adult Coho Salmon continues to decline -- most likely due to the influence of man...

October 22, 2008

Last Thursday I was walking through the field at Fort Mason and spotted this mosaic. My first thought was that I could have used the mosaic a day earlier for my "m" photo, but then realized that this could also serve as this week's "n", as in nails.

I don't have a recent photo of the entire mosaic, but it is part of a very tall three dimensional sculpture that appears to be a celebration of the generations of womanhood.

October 21, 2008

Groucho Marx once was quoted as saying: "I'd never join an organization that would have me as a member", but nevertheless I've joined the brand-new Welcome to My World group, which is brought to us by the fine folks over at Sky Watch Friday.

And yes, this is my world -- the waters of the Golden Gate turn bright and silvery in the afternoon sun... This is where you will often find me perched on a cliff, watching the ships come and go...

Kitty and I live in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. When I'm not staring at bright and silvery water down at Point Bonita you might find me hiking around on our beloved Mt. Tamalpais, the centerpiece of the area.

October 18, 2008

This is the Balcutha, a wind-powered metal-hulled shipping schooner now docked at the Hyde Street Pier. In the mid-1800's, although steam engines had arrived on the scene, many shipping companies still relied on wind-power as a way to save money.

CLICK here for an interesting article about the Princess Taiping a visiting Chinese junk. One of our loyal readers, Tomate Farcie, mentioned it -- and yes -- I did see it, bright and highly decorated, and it was doing some maneuvers in the area of the Hyde Street Pier, but I didn't have a clue that it was a new arrival from China.

October 15, 2008

Well folks, I'm neither Catholic or even very religious (churches do tend to spook me out a bit), but I DO recognize beauty when I see it... I found this slightly larger than life statue in the tiny church in tiny town of Tomales, California...

October 12, 2008

I'm going to spare you my Army stories for now, but back in 1970 I was drafted. Somehow I was picked to train on a ground-based mobile heat-seeking missile system -- deadly accurate for shooting down jets. I'm a fairly peaceful guy these days (always was), but those Blue Angels would have been easy-pickin's...

Here's another one for today... Until I shot the "L"agunitas Creek photos yesterday afternoon, I thought I would name this photo "Cloud "L"andscape" and use it as an "L" for "L"-Day over at ABC Wednesday...

To post-process this photo I pulled out my favorite Photoshop effect -- Smart-Blur -- and added it to the clouds for a bit more dreaminess. Smart-Blur retains edge sharpness while blurring the interior of the detail.

October 02, 2008

I was lucky enough to visit the new California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park on Monday. I skipped the Morrison Planetarium on this trip, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Natural History Museum and the Steinhart Aquarium.

There is a huge eco-bubble to explore... Fish enjoy themselves in water at the base, while butterflies dot the canopy... Many interesting displays provide information on the eco-system.

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size imagephoto by Donald Kinney

I just did the math, and it was about 47 years ago that I, as a lad of 14, last visited the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. I was quite a shutter-bug at the time and I remember getting some great slides of the stuffed African animals -- and yes, they are still on display.

Here is something about the new Academy of Sciences that I lifted from the L.A. Times...

---------- quote ------------------

World-class, unparalleled, greatest, biggest, most diverse, greenest and eco-grooviest. Able to leap tall buildings in a single rave, the new state-of-the-art and state-of-the-planet incarnation of the California Academy of Sciences is generating kilowatts of excitement and kudos.

This weekend marks the long-awaited grand reopening of the academy, which is unusual in that it houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and educational programs under one roof. In commemoration of the very big deal that all of this is, several hundred butterflies were to be released at its Saturday debut in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, starting two days of hoopla that's set to include music, Chinese acrobats and a Native American blessing.

But the star attraction is the building itself, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pompidou Centre in Paris) and poised to be one of the world's greenest buildings.

Call it the "unmuseum," said Gregory C. Farrington, executive director. "Museums are supposed to have thick walls and dark corridors. You're supposed to get lost."This," he said "is entirely different. It's welcoming and full of life and light."

The place is spacious, sunlight-soaked, with glass walls surrounding a central atrium, but its crowning achievement is the living roof: a 2.5-acre biotic expanse with seven grassy domes creating a roof-scape of rolling hills and valleys that echoes San Francisco's topography and its seven predominant hills. The steepest peaks carpet the academy's domed planetarium, rain forest and aquarium exhibits.

The museum "is visually and functionally linked to its natural surroundings, metaphorically lifting up a piece of the park and putting a building underneath," Piano said. If you were a bird, you wouldn't even see the museum from above. You'd be mostly concerned with the 1.7 million native plants growing on top (including strawberries) and the various bugs snuggling in.

From an environmentalist's-eye view, the green roof embodies natural cooling and heating systems, water conservation, solar panels and a new habitat for birds and butterflies.From a kid's-eye view, the rooftop may strongly resemble Teletubby-land. But fans of Teletubbies may be even more interested in the museum below, where the giant Pacific octopus in the Steinhart Aquarium can stretch 7 feet or shrink to tennis-ball-size.

And the pasty albino alligator can be viewed from above or below swamp level. Here, the great glass elevator takes visitors from the Amazon forest to the misty rain forests. You can take the long way up -- a winding ramp through the 90-foot-diameter glass dome (with detours for exhibits of a bat cave in Borneo, chameleons in Madagascar) to the treetops of Costa Rica, where a butterfly could land on your head.

Throughout the comprehensive exhibits on evolution, climate change, California tide pools and Philippine coral reefs, there is an array of clever touches. In the African Hall, looped digital projections of elephants crossing the painted veld enliven the zebra diorama. Kids will also love the Wii interactive stations, and adult gear-heads will like the option of hearing audio tours over their cellphones or on their iPods.

Post-adventure sustenance can be had at the museum's two sustainable restaurants. Renowned chefs Loretta Keller and Charles Phan have partnered to create the casual Academy Café and the fancier Moss Room, with outdoor dining during and after museum hours.

Farrington likes to call the academy the "kingdom of wow." The wow-worthy Morrison Planetarium is an enormous all-digital facility. Its opening show, "Fragile Planet," has a surround-scope domed screen providing a 360-degree immersive experience, an astronaut's-eye view panning out from the museum roof to infinity and beyond.